How Celtics' Malcolm Brogdon has changed Jayson Tatum's and Jaylen Brown's production

In watching the 2022 NBA Finals, it was wide that the Celtics could payment from the beingness of different level general. Neither of their 2 champion players, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, were earthy squad discourtesy creators.

They were among the astir prolific finishers successful the NBA, but creating for teammates disconnected the dribble didn't look to travel naturally, and the Warriors exploited that. Tatum and Brown, who had averaged 7.9 combined assists and 5.6 combined turnovers successful the regular season, upped that to 9.7 combined assists and 7.3 combined turnovers successful the playoffs arsenic they, peculiarly Tatum, took much squad instauration responsibilities into their ain hands.

The effect was astir pronounced successful the Finals, wherever Tatum and Brown averaged 10.7 combined assists and 7.2 combined turnovers, but saw their scoring averages plummet from 50.5 combined PPG connected 46.2 FG% successful the regular play to 45.0 combined points connected 39.8 FG% successful the Finals.

The communicative seemed clear: arsenic Tatum and Brown were forced to instrumentality connected much squad discourtesy instauration responsibilities, their ain quality to people astatine measurement and ratio was negatively impacted.

Enter Malcolm Brogdon, a seasoned constituent defender that has demonstrated beardown level generalship (7.1 APG during the 2019-20 season) arsenic good arsenic fantabulous shooting/scoring quality (21.2 PPG, 2.6 3PG, 38.8 3P% successful 2020-21) successful his career.

The Celtics are utilizing him arsenic a sixth antheral this season, with past season's Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart inactive starting astatine the point.

Brogdon has lone averaged 13.3 PPG (45.0 FG%, 38.1 3P%, 94.7 FT%), 3.7 APG, 3.2 RPG, 1.3 3PG and 0.7 SPG successful 22.8 MPG. These are his lowest counting stats since his rookie season, and the lowest minutes output of his career. He presently ranks 139th successful the NBA successful phantasy points per game, aft ranking 48th successful that class past season.

Still, Brogdon isl having a immense interaction connected the Celtics and phantasy leagues alike this season, due to the fact that of what his beingness has done to the Celtics' attack to the game.

Between Smart (34.2 MPG), Brogdon (22.8 MPG) and Derrick White (26.2 MPG), the Celtics present person 2 pb guards connected the level simultaneously for astir the entirety of the game. Those 3 guards are averaging a combined 11.6 assists per game, taking connected the lion stock of the playmaking duties for the Celtics. And, it's had a singular effect connected Tatum and Brown.

Tatum and Brown are averaging lone 6.3 combined assists connected the season, a worth that would correspond their lowest assistance output successful 3 seasons, since they combined for 5.1 APG during the 2019-20 season. But, connected the flip side, Tatum and Brown are combining to mean would-be monolithic career-highs of 56.1 PPG and 5.8 3PG connected a way-career-high gait of 50.9 FG%.

Granted that we're lone six games in, and blistery streaks exist, but the metrics and eye-test results truthful acold acceptable the expectation.

Tatum is taking 42.6% of his shots from down the arc, a career-most pace, but a afloat 70% of his 3-pointers are assisted (up from 56.5% past season, and 46.5% the play before). A whopping 93.3% of Brown's 3-pointers this play are assisted, up from 75.9% past play and 79.8% the play before. Having shed the request to make their ain offense, Tatum and Brown are capable to ore connected finishing.

And they are finishing amended present than ever before.

In modular ESPN leagues, Tatum is putting up 52.3 phantasy points per crippled (FP/G), bully for 9th wide and up from 44.7 FP/G to fertile 16th past season. Similarly, Brown is astatine 40.3 FP/G to fertile 29th, up from 37.0 FP/G and the 42nd spot past season.

On apical of that, the Celtics look much formidable than they person successful years. They are aboriginal title favorites, according to our Basketball Power Index, with a BPI people of 5.4 that is fig 1 successful the NBA.

So, what tin Brogdon bash for you?

If he's connected your phantasy team, his existent averages are conscionable replacement level frankincense far. But his beingness connected the Celtics, and the consequent mode that it's changed the mode the Celtics play, has had a immense interaction connected the phantasy prospects of his 2 champion teammates and the futures title worth of his team.